The VISES of Garage Journal

[bigcaddy]

I'm not sure the Craftsman that my dad owns is a Reed considering the unique spindle nut but when its finished, it will be on here. I just missed a Craftsman vise last weekend that was made by Rock Island and it was in mint condition.

Hopefully this weekend will make for better luck.

 

[bigcaddy]

I've also got another clean Reed/Craftsman 205 i came across bolted to a table in my uncles scrap yard.

Its hard to imagine all the time I've spent chasing down tools and vises and one this big has been sitting in my backyard the entire time. I'll get him to part ways with it, hopefully, and bring it back to life.

I only saw it for a second but it looked very clean and has to be at least 60 years old.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Probably different language over here but in Australia we would call that a "nut" rather than a "bolt" that you welded on to the handle.... great idea all the same.

Whoops. I can't blame regional differences in English for switching the two terms. Just me. I went back and corrected it.

 

[autopts]

I've also got another clean Reed/Craftsman 205 i came across bolted to a table in my uncles scrap yard.

Its hard to imagine all the time I've spent chasing down tools and vises and one this big has been sitting in my backyard the entire time. I'll get him to part ways with it, hopefully, and bring it back to life.

I only saw it for a second but it looked very clean and has to be at least 60 years old.

Geeze, everywhere you look it seems you find more vises! You might hit 100 this year. That Littlestown went for nice money. Grats!

 

[Recoil Rob]

Vise Advice?

I need to get a 4" swivel vise that will be mounted on a plate in a trailer hitch for field work. Pipe jaws would help. May get rained on and there will be road dirt so I don't want to use any of my nice vintage vises. I was thinking about just getting a cheap, made in China vise that I won't feel bad about abusing.

So what's the best of the worst?

 

[wxm]

Geeze. Is it just I who doesn't know how to look up things or someone shares the same problem? As the threads grows to 180 pages, thousands vises have made on the show block. My troubles is that from time to time I I wanted to review a vise I once saw before, but I could never found it. I know it is some where there in one of the pages. It is just impossible to locate it. We needs some idea to index these vises...

 

[ZRX61]

Simplex/Ridge for sale at local *antique* store.. offered $25, he wanted $50, wouldn't go below $45..

 

[zoomieport]

Here is a 4-1/2" Craftsman I pick up off CL for $20... It wasn't in too bad of shape... broke it down, cleaned, painted, reassembled. I tried a "splattered paint" look on the "outer most flats", it turned out pretty cool, it doesn't show up as good in pictures, but hey... I'm no photographer either! Weighs in at a hair over 52lbs.

 

[zoomieport]

Geeze. Is it just I who doesn't know how to look up things or someone shares the same problem? As the threads grows to 180 pages, thousands vises have made on the show block. My troubles is that from time to time I I wanted to review a vise I once saw before, but I could never found it. I know it is some where there in one of the pages. It is just impossible to locate it. We needs some idea to index these vises...

You are NOT the only one... the search engine seems awful picky, or something...

 

[Dodgepu360]

here is another little scout 3 1/2

I plundered it from my grandmothers house that is being cleaned out

 

[toolz]

Re: Vise Advice?

I need to get a 4" swivel vise that will be mounted on a plate in a trailer hitch for field work. Pipe jaws would help. May get rained on and there will be road dirt so I don't want to use any of my nice vintage vises. I was thinking about just getting a cheap, made in China vise that I won't feel bad about abusing.

So what's the best of the worst?

My favorite new China import is the Craftsman Pro 4 1/2 inch.
For the same price a guy might find an oldie, but then again you might not want to subject it to the field abuse..

 

[alan camby]

I have a nice Wilton 1755 vise in my garage and don't really need another vise but when my work was going to throw away a well used USA Craftsman i took it home. The side of the casting is stamped 2294, i am assuming this is the date of manufacture. The model is 51872 which is a 6" model. Does anyone know who made these?
It took a can of brake cleaner and about 6 Scrubs towels to get it clean. After a trip to the sandblaster it came out looking very nice.
I don't care much for the singe hold down for the swivel so i threw away the swivel base and drilled a second 5/8" hole to convert it to a stationary vise.
It was a fun Sunday project.

 

[Outlawmws]

I have a nice Wilton 1755 vise in my garage and don't really need another vise but when my work was going to throw away a well used USA Craftsman i took it home. The side of the casting is stamped 2294, i am assuming this is the date of manufacture. The model is 51872 which is a 6" model. Does anyone know who made these?
It took a can of brake cleaner and about 6 Scrubs towels to get it clean. After a trip to the sandblaster it came out looking very nice.
I don't care much for the singe hold down for the swivel so i threw away the swivel base and drilled a second 5/8" hole to convert it to a statinary vise.
It was a fun sunday project.

You know, there are guys that will buy a swivel base around here... (Not me in particular)

 

[alan camby]

You know, there are guys that will buy a swivel base around here... (Not me in particular)

I still have it in the trash. I will hold on to it for a week. If someone needs it please PM me. Just pay for the shipping and it is yours.
After some research I think this vise is a re branded Columbian

 

[wxm]

I still have it in the trash. I will hold on to it for a week. If someone needs it please PM me. Just pay for the shipping and it is yours.
After some research I think this vise is a re branded Colombian

If you could post it in the http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88292&highlight=Vise+parts. Someone might be interested.

 

[alan camby]

If you could post it in the http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88292&highlight=Vise+parts. Someone might be interested.

Done

 

[Fudge]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bright_industries/6821133355/" title="Untitled by Bright Industries, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6821133355_19998e1c5f.jpg" width="500" height="362" alt=""></a>
My Indian Chief
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bright_industries/6821133163/" title="Untitled by Bright Industries, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6821133163_02597e6a13.jpg" width="500" height="387" alt=""></a>
older Craftsman I picked up
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bright_industries/6860838397/" title="Untitled by Bright Industries, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6860838397_0e21c5487a.jpg" width="395" height="500" alt=""></a>
Unknown make grease gun holder

 

[PCO6]

All you guys with gloss paint, do you regret it? Just looks really shiney to me. I was thinking more of an original sheen either semi or matte. I guess it's easy to clean up, but I'm not putting a lot of filthy parts in my vise.

I painted this one with Valspar gloss in a rattle can. I applied 2 thin "mist" coats. I purposely tried to avoid a glossy finish. That was last fall. If I took a picture of it now it would look even less glossy than it does in this picture.

 

[Nightshift]

I painted this one with Valspar gloss in a rattle can. I applied 2 thin "mist" coats. I purposely tried to avoid a glossy finish. That was last fall. If I took a picture of it now it would look even less glossy than it does in this picture.

Nice #6 Record there. Got one identical to it. I spray my Records with CTC Armor Coat Oxford Blue ... about as close to the original blue as I could find.

BTW PC06 ... where'd you get those removable soft jaw covers? Is there a rare earth magnet holding them on, or do the side clips just hold them on?

Cheers, Bill

 

[PCO6]

Nice #6 Record there. Got one identical to it. I spray my Records with CTC Armor Coat Oxford Blue ... about as close to the original blue as I could find.

BTW PC06 ... where'd you get those removable soft jaw covers? Is there a rare earth magnet holding them on, or do the side clips just hold them on?

Cheers, Bill

Bill - You're right, Oxford Blue is very close. I also tried Tremclad blue and it's pretty good too. The picture below is of a Record No. 4 that I bought new in the mid 70's. I painted the front lower area last year with Valspar blue that I got at Lowe's. The rest of the vice is the original colour. I was doing a colour match for the No. 6 and decided to go with the Valspar (any of them would have been fine). BTW - that's a No. 8 in the background ... it's next.

I got the soft jaws from Acklands-Grainger here in town. They are made by Record and are available for most of their bench vices. The price last year was about $25 for the pair. They also sell replacement jaw/screw sets in the $30 to $40 range. GJ member Keep from Oshawa gave me a lead on that (thanks again!).

To put the soft jaws on you just spread the clips and pull them over the jaws. They are a tight fit and they stay put. You probably have a A-G in London but if you're stuck let me know, I go in the one here fairly often.

Stew

 

[Nightshift]

Thanks Stew. There's an A-G here so I'll pick up some. Cheers, Bill

 

[Kevin54]

Is this over with or still on FleaBay? If it's still there, I couldn't find it. Post a link maybe?


That's the one!!. I don't know what happened but i guess the pictures were never uploaded to the listing. I got a question about it last night and noticed my mistake so pictures have been uploaded.

Hey BigCaddy....just wanted to say thanks. I received it yesterday

 

[bigcaddy]

Hey BigCaddy....just wanted to say thanks. I received it yesterday

No problem, I'm glad you and your wife enjoy it.

 

[bigcaddy]

Here is a little Rock Island that i just finished up today. I found it in a basement workshop in North Hollywood. Its in really good shape and i'm surprised that it has the original pritchel hole cutting insert. Those things are usually always missing.

I would of like to gone with a darker green but this color looks pretty good for now and was fairly close to the original color.

 

[Outlawmws]

I'm assuming these went through a fire?

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bright_industries/6821133355/" title="Untitled by Bright Industries, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6821133355_19998e1c5f.jpg" width="500" height="362" alt=""></a>
My Indian Chief
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bright_industries/6821133163/" title="Untitled by Bright Industries, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6821133163_02597e6a13.jpg" width="500" height="387" alt=""></a>
older Craftsman I picked up
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bright_industries/6860838397/" title="Untitled by Bright Industries, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6860838397_0e21c5487a.jpg" width="395" height="500" alt=""></a>
Unknown make grease gun holder

 

[lzenglish]

Here is my latest little 3 inch vise find. "AMPO-GRIP", made by the American Machinery Company Inc., in the 1970's-1980's. I'm not real prowd of it, but could not pass on 2 bucks. It needs a vinegar bath and paint Job real bad.

Wayne

 

[Fudge]

No fire? why?

 

[Outlawmws]

No fire? why?

Because everything appears to have that post fire patina?

 

[Fudge]

No those shots are all over 1 second of exposure time in my garage with only natural light bounced off my white Tahoe parked on the street about 50' away. This gives very dramatic lighting The Indian Chief is a very dark brown color from its age. It came from my great grandparents farm that was part of the OK land race. I would guess its from 18??. The Craftsman is a light red color but the lighting makes it appear very dark. These are from a series I'm working on about tools as art.

 

[dayid]

Hopefully I didn't step on any toes by doing this - but in my search for information about Reed vises I'd started to build a table of information about them. Somewhere along the line that spun out of control and I started trying to keep track of information about all of these vises - since there doesn't seem to be a good main source of information for many.

That said, I put up a wiki with information from here and other forums about the different vises on them. It's http://dayid.org/mediawiki/index.php/Category:Vise

That's just my personal site, no ads, no money making or anything else, I just like to share information when I come across it and this seemed like a good topic to attack. I'm currently on page 30 of this thread but still chugging away.

 

[mjozefow]

Hopefully I didn't step on any toes by doing this - but in my search for information about Reed vises I'd started to build a table of information about them. Somewhere along the line that spun out of control and I started trying to keep track of information about all of these vises - since there doesn't seem to be a good main source of information for many.

That said, I put up a wiki with information from here and other forums about the different vises on them. It's http://dayid.org/mediawiki/index.php/Category:Vise

That's just my personal site, no ads, no money making or anything else, I just like to share information when I come across it and this seemed like a good topic to attack. I'm currently on page 30 of this thread but still chugging away.

Wow! Quite an effort you have put forth there!

 

[bigcaddy]

Here is todays newest find. I've always wanted a large Wilton C-Series so this makes number 2 in the past month.

Ill post some "after" pictures one i finish putting lipstick on this pig.

 

[bigcaddy]

the pics didn't load on the first post but here they are.

 

[autopts]

the pics didn't load on the first post but here they are.

You Make Me Sick!!! I'm gonna start tailing you when you go hunting!! Its probably from the 60's no newer then 1974. Another beautiful Find!!

 

[autopts]

Wow! Quite an effort you have put forth there!

No!! You are the one thats put forth the effort! You started probably the biggest vise thread in the world! That vise informational page is excellent.......5 STARS!! Glad to see your still peeking around!!

 

[twohaggard]

[/IMG]

my mini vise mounted to a brake rotor so i can move it all around for welding and whatever

 

[bigcaddy]

You Make Me Sick!!! I'm gonna start tailing you when you go hunting!! Its probably from the 60's no newer then 1974. Another beautiful Find!!

You can tail me at any sale you want, Nick! I'm sure my girlfriend would love the break from getting up super early on weekends to go digging in somebodys garage. She's not quite to tool hounds that we are.

 

[Recoil Rob]

Is that 3, 3-1/2" vise? Great Idea!

[/IMG]

my mini vise mounted to a brake rotor so i can move it all around for welding and whatever

 

[lzenglish]

[/IMG]

my mini vise mounted to a brake rotor so i can move it all around for welding and whatever

Great Idea, I think I will have to use it! Who is the maker of your vise? Looks like a dunlap?

Wayne

 

[5001craig]

I'm so excited to be making my first post on this AWESOME thread! Thanks to all the Wise Ones for taking the time to post pics and knowledge for people like me.

After studying here on GJ for some time, I found an early Columbian 604 with the curved font on both sides (gave $50 for it and felt bad as it was his grandpaw's and the only thing his dad ever gave him). I know some of you have seen her because I'm looking for one jaw. Other than the one jaw (and the cheesy paint-everything-red paint job the PO did) the vise is perfect. I mean really nice and clean. Since I got her I removed the broken jaw and took the red off the handles and took her apart, cleaned and lubed her back up. Here she is:

There is not even any surface rust up inside the bottom of the swivel base of the Columbian above. Kind of hard to see in the pic but the jaw closest to the handle is broke. This Columbian used a "T" type jaw that is held in place with three vertical pins. These jaws are very hard to find and I would appreciate it if anyone could help me in my quest for a 4" jaw (just need the one as the other is perfect).

I just got back from picking-up an early Reed 203.5 (gave $40 for it but the PO had to think about it for a few minutes). She's not very pretty but I think I'm in love. The handles came with a couple extra little bends in them. Love the way these jaws are installed (hot forged). Here she is:

I will be cleaning-up the Reed for my bench and will add after pics when I get her mounted.

Now I just need to find a Chas. Parker and a nice Wilton C3 (that I can afford) and I will never need any more vises... Ok not really.

Feel free to let me know if I made any mistakes so I can edit with accurate info.

Thanks again to all here on this great forum for all the info and also for helping me get bit by the vise-bug...